Custom Hearing Protection devices by Cotral Lab

Cotral Lab designs, manufactures, and distributes high-quality custom hearing protection to meet the specific needs of each client, using advanced technologies and in-depth knowledge of hearing health.

Our teams handle noise risk awareness modules, train your employees, and equip them with the most suitable protection for their work environment. A custom-made turnkey solution.

We continuously innovate in the field of custom hearing protection by developing active, communicative, connected, and intelligent equipment to meet the challenges of the professional world.

Hearing protection customised to each person and every situation

Comfort, communication, concentration, ease of use, hygiene, and cost-efficiency, all these qualities have made Cotral Lab custom-made earplugs the most popular individual noise protection among employees and companies.

Less isolating than noise-canceling headphones and more effective and comfortable than earmuffs, disposable earplugs, Cotral Lab's custom-made hearing protection also offers great flexibility in terms of filtration choices (attenuation of intense noises on certain frequencies or linear attenuation facilitating understanding during conversations) to adapt to all noise levels.

Cotral Services, 100% peace of mind

A prevention technician dedicated to your case

For easy online management of your equipment fleet

Awareness training for your staff to ensure optimal usage

Conducting tests to ensure the effectiveness of the protection

Up to 6 years of warranty on your hearing protection

Looking for a solution to protect your employees?

Get contacted

 How does it work?A simplified and assured customer journey from A to Z by a Cotral Lab representative

    Our prevention technician visits your site to assess the noise level your workers are exposed to. Using measuring instruments like sound level meters, they will identify the noisiest areas. They may also speak with employees to understand their concerns and experiences with noise. They will then make recommendations on the most suitable hearing protection solutions.

    The ear impressions of your employees are taken directly on-site. The prevention technician selects the most suitable hearing protectors and filters for each individual, based on their needs and work environment (noise level). They also organize a noise risk awareness workshop to ensure a thorough understanding of the protection measures being implemented.

    The impressions are sent to our manufacturing lab in France to be digitized. Our 3D machines will then manufacture the protectors with extreme precision. Guided by ISO 9001:2015 standards, strict controls are carried out to ensure optimal product quality.

    Each employee receives a personalized pack containing their hearing protectors, accessories, and a user guide to help them with insertion and daily use.

    The MyCotral customer portal is an online service accessible 24/7, allowing you to independently manage your employees' protectors and after-sales service requests. The prevention technician supports you daily, and an annual follow-up is planned to assess the condition of your equipment.
Taking ear impressions by the Cotral Lab prevention technician
A personalized protector adapted to everyone SAPAN©: A tool to select the hearing protector best suited to the user's specific needs and constraints

 Communicate and stay protected A custom earplug that protects without isolating

Choosing a personal hearing protector is an important step as it determines the protection level of the wearer. This selection must be made with great care to ensure the user does not face risks due to inadequate protection.
Developed by HearingProTech®, the SAPAN® method is a tool used by Cotral Lab's prevention technicians to help select the best-suited hearing protector. The application identifies the most appropriate hearing protection for each user's specific needs and constraints, in compliance with guidelines, laws, standards, and recommendations.

Once the protector is worn, the user should ideally be within a satisfactory residual noise level of 70 to 75 dB(A).

Berger's Window
Targeted residual noise level

An inappropriate hearing protection presents two distinct risks:

Overprotection

Hearing isolation: Too much protection can make it difficult to perceive important sounds, such as alarms or conversations, which can affect communication and safety.

Discomfort: Excessive protection can cause discomfort, which may lead the user not to wear the protections regularly.

Auditory fatigue: Being too isolated can cause mental fatigue, especially in environments where it is important to hear contextual sounds.

Underprotection

Hearing loss risks: Prolonged exposure to high noise levels without adequate hearing protection can cause permanent and irreversible hearing damage.

Health: Exposure to loud noises can cause tinnitus and hyperacusis, which can be disturbing and affect quality of life.

Impact on performance: In noisy environments, underprotection can hinder concentration and performance, particularly in jobs where listening is crucial.

Maintenance of Cotral Lab hearing protections

Water- and dust-resistant, the filters of custom hearing protections maintain their acoustic properties even in very dirty environments.

To ensure comfort and hygiene, it is recommended to clean the hearing protections daily with specific products. This maintenance helps preserve the effectiveness and durability of your protections.

Simple steps to ensure that hearing protections are correctly installed in the ear. Providing effective protection while maintaining the comfort and hearing functionality necessary for daily activities.

Fitting Cotral Lab custom hearing protections
Effective attenuation Discover why Cotral Lab custom earplugs are effective
3D result of the ear impression taken by your Cotral technician
3D molding from an ear impression

The quality of the ear impression

They perfectly fit the ears (and auditory canals) of your employees, making them very comfortable. Therefore, they can be worn daily regardless of the time spent in a noisy environment: 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours...

An ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing process

Custom hearing protections, made using 3D technology, are an exact replica of the ear impressions taken by your prevention technician.

Custom earplug manufacturing
Chronology of Cotral Lab hearing protectors

 Frequently Asked Questions Frequently asked questions about hearing protectors

Hearing aids are devices that amplify sound. They are used when people already have hearing loss. Hearing protectors, such as Cotral Lab custom earplugs, are designed to prevent this hearing loss.

Qeos custom earplugs meet one of the main requirements of the food industry: an optional electromagnetic detection tag is available. You can complement it with a detectable cord. Additionally, for better visibility, Qeos hearing protectors are blue.

Your Prevention Technician selects the filter and model of hearing protection using the SAPAN method. After asking various questions to the user, the application will provide a list of the most suitable hearing protectors for each. Each employee benefits from custom attenuation based on their exposure level, their sound perception requirements, or any hearing deficits. The employee is protected from noise without the risk of overprotection.

SNR stands for Single Number Rating. It is the overall attenuation index, a weighted average of the attenuation across all measured frequencies (63, 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, and 8000 Hz) for the filter integrated into the custom earplug.

Cotral Lab hearing protectors are guaranteed for 6 years. Even though their lifespan may exceed this, after these 6 years we recommend taking new impressions or checking their actual effectiveness with a CAPA test.
You benefit from a unique warranty in the market of custom hearing protectors: the Effi-6 warranty. It covers the product in case of breakage (very rare since the product is not made of silicone) as well as comfort and attenuation. Your in-ear protection is compliant or refunded.

There are two types of filters that attenuate sound differently:
- Uniform response filters attenuate sound without distorting it. Imagine lowering the ambient volume like you do with your MP3 player or stereo system. These filters provide the same sound quality; the volume is just reduced. Hearing protectors with these filters are recommended for technicians who adjust machines by ear, people with a high need to communicate in noisy environments, supervisory staff, and employees in the music and entertainment industry.
- HFA filters (High Frequency Attenuation) attenuate noise more strongly at high frequencies. These filters are very popular in very noisy environments: industry, metallurgy, construction, etc.

Custom earplugs are the most effective of custom hearing protectors.
Made by a hearing health professional, these earplugs are specially designed to fit perfectly in your ears (to the micron), providing optimal protection against noise.
These protectors must be equipped with attenuating filters that neither reduce too much nor too little ambient noise, placing the user between 70 and 75 dB, allowing them to continue hearing conversations, alert signals, or machinery while not causing any damage to their hearing.

To clean your Cotral Lab earplugs, use warm water and a mild soap, then rinse and dry with a soft cloth. This can be done regularly to maintain their lifespan. Avoid using alcohol, as it can damage the material.
Make sure to clean the filters regularly as well.

Some contraindications include people with a history of allergies, ear diseases, or any other chronic issues related to their ears. For these cases, you should contact your ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) doctor. If your ENT gives you the green light, you can proceed with the impressions to make your custom earplugs.

No, you do not need to have a hearing loss to use hearing protectors. Everyone can benefit from hearing protection, especially in noisy environments where prolonged exposure can damage hearing.

If you stop wearing your hearing protectors, you risk exposing yourself to high levels of noise, which can lead to hearing loss over time. It is crucial to wear them consistently, especially in loud environments.

Cotral Lab's Prevention Technicians come to your site to take ear impressions (part of the pinna and ear canal) of your employees. This meeting is also a time for discussion and information on noise risks and the use of Cotral molded earplugs. The Prevention Technician then uses the SAPAN method to determine with each employee the earplug with acoustic filter best suited to his or her workstation and specific requirements. Everything is configured to suit your company's needs.

Several methods can be used depending on the shape of the wearer's ear canal. If your ear canals are relatively straight, a simple push may suffice to correctly position the protector. If your ear canal is a bit more curved (bent), it may be necessary to make a slight counter-clockwise rotation to correctly position the hearing protector in your ears.

The CAPA method allows measuring the attenuation of your hearing protectors. This method consists of triggering a series of sounds at different intensities at certain frequencies. You then perform a similar test with your hearing protection worn, and the software measures the actual attenuation of your filters at these different frequencies. This ensures that the selected filtration level (SNR) is correct.